I recently came across 'my stash ' of
“Anne of Green gables” series by L.M. Montgomery. I was introduced to it in
class 7. The story is set in Prince Edward Island in Canada and tells the story
of an orphan girl Anne. Fiery and independent, the red headed Anne is an
eternal optimist; seeing beauty everywhere and in everybody around her...well
at least, most of the time.
She breaks into sudden “spells of
insanity” completely lost in “the land of dreams” where “the land is tender
with golden green baby leaves; where there is an emerald mist on the woods and
where the valleys are full of fairy lights at dawn”. I understand her
completely, for I have these “sudden spells” too; only I didn’t know I was a
“kindred spirit” till I read the book.
When ever I feel like the world
around me is losing its charm and I am bogged down by “mundane activities” I
return to its pages and rediscover the joy of enjoying simple pleasures
- enjoying a cup of hot' masala chai' while devouring decor magazines and glossy cook books.
- browsing to my heart’s content, in a book store
- a cheery bunch of flowers on my desk (yes, I buy myself flowers)
- crisp, freshly laundered and ironed, lavender scented sheets to snuggle into, after a warm bath
(Of course, I should not have anything to do with the laundering and ironing part)
- Spending an afternoon doing absolutely nothing (‘ dolce far niente’ literally, sweet doing nothing. See, there is even a term for it)
- a gossip session with cousins/friends in the middle of the day (Hail whatsapp !)
- a big bowl of ice cream all to myself (Baskin Robbins ‘after eight’ chocolate and mint flavour to be exact)
“Enjoy the little things in life, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things” –Robert Brault
So make some time every day, for life’s
simple pleasures.
